Gate closure



Sept. 28, 1943. .M.I F. Kl-:MF'ERv GATE CLOSURE Filed Sept. 17, 1940 Patented Sept. 28, 1.943

i f assozo valittle: cLosURr; n r"IVI'MIWII F- Kemper; Los ngeles, oalif-: l ff. -Almlic-ation September 17, if il y 3 claims. (01.220446) ,l

This invention relates to closures and more particularly to pneumatic seals forv gates or covers for containers requiring sealing to maintain pressure therein, for example lfor Apneumatic concrete discharge guns orconveyors.

f "Y The principal obj ect of theiin'vention is to provide an effective air tight seal for closures for containers v and especially to provide a pneun'latif'` cally actuated seal for apparatus which is itself pneumatically actuated. l H

-.In,the handling of plastic and granularv materials, it is'common to convey themby airV pressure.V In many cases where mixed wet concrete is employed it is conducted to places of deposit, such as tunnellining, by blowing from a sealed container or Ypri-assure chamber .by apparatus often known as a concrete gun. After a receiving chamber or 4.hopper has been filled wrtlti the mixed concrete, the inlet opening at the top must be tightly sealed, inorder that the concrete may be pneu'matical-ly discharged frotmthe bottom ,of the hopper without appreciable loss' 'of pressure through the filling opening. It is desirable therefore to actuate the closure for' the vessel pneu-` matically and to seal it pneumatically, and the lpresent invention performs these functons Other materials may handled with the "sanie-y apparatus.

The. present plate``or cover having a contact face aroundits periphery on its under side adapted to cooperate with a corresponding Contact face around the periphery ofthe opening of the vessel to be sealed;

One :of these members, vpreferably the closure plate, contains a movable or expansible element, preferably Va pneumatically actuated element such as an inilatable gasket, adapted to be moved into by air pressure to expand'thegasket inte-sealing contact with the contact face of the closure member on the vessel itself. In theA slidable form of closure, a scraping blade may be provided ron the advancing edge of the closure to clear away nia-` terdal deposited on the contact face of the vessel.

In the accompanying drawing wherein certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed by way of illustration,

invention" comprises a closure sealing' engagement with the other memberwhen Y plate possesses a peripheral l l Fig., 1 averticalsectionall v -iew of container equipped with the present closuregthe section being taken approximatelykonthe line ofFig- Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional'detail v'the sealing gasketininatedsealing conditionand f Fig.` 6 is a. cross sectional :detail throughthe v Va1Ve-`C0nm0-1lng Ph? mQVemQntQgthe mlsufev sealed is shown as kprovided `with a lling neck I l l having a circularopening.-r K, This neck is provided y with a iiangle:` |72 whose upper/ faceconstitutesa contact or sealing facewhich is rectangularat its peripheryand carries two rearwardly extending A closure plate |65 is `adapted `to make sealing contact "with said contact face* I2,. andgin the formshownis a sliding plate which is square as shown and has its Isides-erdgeridingbeyond the sidesof the contact flanges 12, andhvhas securedV thereto by :means "of machlinescrews; lygguide members I'I whose extensionsllf engage under toflange I2.

'the closure plate `I Skils y prm'fi'ded with a continuous groovel which in thelpresent formisannuiar sides of the groove and havekoverhanfging lips .whicmhoweven do notrcontacteach other thereby provid/ing an; annular .cavity-open along itsvme- 4*dian =line. vwhereby to receive'orfdischargeV air under pressure suppliedthrougn at duct 2i! inthe plate I5, which duct isconnected at. 2| r.vvitl'ipflexibleairhose22 suppliedv from a' supply' line 15."` l- *i "I'he-fsl-iding or reciprocating action 'ofiplatel f is accomplished through the medium ofa pair of i i cylinders 25 secured to Vessel I0 each of which contains a piston 26 having a piston rod 21 extending through a packing gland 28, theouter ends of said piston rods being secured at 29to ears 3U secured near the forward, or advancing rij-nase wens non from supplyline S either to thelines 3'2 or: toy

the lines 33. In the position shown the air is being supplied from line S to lines 32 to retract-5 'fl" the pistons 26 to open the gate or plate I5. The` air in lines 33 and in the cylinders 25 is being' vented by way of an adjustable'vent valve 35A secured to the valve body V and including an adjustable cap having vent ports 33 and a' con= trol needle 3l cao-operating with a bleeding port 38 in the member 35. By this adjustable venting or' bleeding means" the rate of travel ofthe gate IBl to and fromolosed position is-l cushioned and regulated as desired. f

Air from the supply line S is also conducted by way of a; secondi valve 40 throughi the lexible -lineo'r libsei'22-L tothe'a-irfdu'ct 23' in the-plate I5 and thence' to the annularl channel orcavity in gasket G. The flexible hose 2-2v permits the gate Y IE5v to pass through its reciprocating movements. A

`In operating this invention, the gate or closure plate I5 will be placed in retracted' or open position on the legs I 2' by the adjustment of the valve V to theA positionV shown whereby the pistons 26 will be causedv totlavel in the cylindersl 25 tol the right, the air in the said cylinders being ventedthroughthe lines-33 and ports`3-8 and 36 invent valve '35. Under these conditions the valve "lf3 'will' have been adjusted so that the pressure in the flexible line 22- and the gasket G will havev been Vented through a port contained in avent nozzle 42 orthe like. When 'the plate I5 has been moved to such retracted position the vesselA lll may then befilled" with appropriate materials such as wet mixedi concrete, where- 'upon valve V Wiil be adjusted to admit air to the lines-33 .and righ't'end's of they cylinders 25 thereby forcing the'pis'tons 23 tothe left and causingthe closure plate I5 to move into the closed position indicated in Figures land l2.

Unele'r'these-'condi'tions the Ygasket G is deflated, by reason of the fact that valve 4l)1 is in closed position, andthe exposed face or web of said gasket G assumes thearched position shown in Figures 3l and 4, thi-s position constituting the retracted position o'f the gasket G. When the gasket G is inv this condition theA plate I5v may be readily reeiprocated without contact between the exposed face of gasket G and portions of the-'stationary contact faces F2 of the flanged lling neck Il".

The `forward or- `advance edge of plate vI5 is preferably equipped with a hardened scraper blade B which.' may be removably secured` as by means of set screws "45. This blade continuously travels in contact with fthe Contact faces; I2 an'd thereby scrapes away any materials which may have accumulated upon said faces in the lling oper-ation. when the plate I5 has reached its closed position, the contact faces I2 are clean and in condition for sealing. Sealing is now effected by opening the valve 40 thereby passing air through the flexible line 22 by way of connection of 2| and duct 20 into the annular channel Within the gasket G. This high pressure air forces the exposed contact face of gasket G outward and downward against the Contact faces I2 of the hanged filling neck II and expands thegside walls of gasket G,r against the side wallsbt said dove-tailed groove I8, and forces the bottom of gasket G against said contact faces I2. This places the chamber I0 in sealed condition for applying high pressure thereto as in the case of expelling the contents of the chamberpneumatically from a discharge throat at thebottom thereof.

It 'will'be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

I-. A closure for a materials inlet opening leading-to a receiving.' chamber `subject to high lnternal pressure comprising, a cover plate mounti ed for movement to closethefmouth of the opening, a gasket ori said cover plate expansible in adirectonaxially of the mouth of the opening forming-a sea-l between-thecover plate and the mouth ofthe opening, means limiting movement of said cover plate axially of the mouthof the opening, and' apassagel communicating with said gasket vpermitting the application of' a pressure on thegasketv sucient to causeexpansion of the' gasket to seal' the joint between the cover plate and themouth of the opening.

21 A closure fora materials inlet opening leading to a receiving chamber Vsubject to high internal' pressure comprising',` a` cover plate mounted for movement transversely of the mouth of the opening into registry with thel opening, said openi'n'g having a sealing surface disposed transversely of its axis, a scraper movable in contact with said' sealing surface in advance of the plate upon lclosing movement of the plate, a gasket on said cover plate expansible in a direction axially of the mouth of the opening forming a seal be tweenthe plate and the Asealing surface of the opening, and a passage communicating with said gasket permitting the application of a pressure on the "gasket suliioient to cause expansion of the gasket to seal the joint'bet'ween the cover plate andthe mouth' of the opening.

3. A closure. for a materials inlet opening leading to a receiving chamber subject to high inter- 'nal pressure comprising a cover plate mounted 'for` movement transversely of the mouth of the opening into registry with the openingsaid opening having' -a sealing surface disposed at its inouth,"and said cover plate slidingalong said sealing surface, algasket on said cover plate ex- Ipansil'ol'e lin a vdirection axially of the mouth 'of the, opening forming a seal between the plate andthe sealing surface of 'the opening, and a passage communicating with said gasket permitting the application of aipressure onA the gasket sufficient tocause expansion ,of the gasket to seal the joint between the cover plate andthe mouth o'f. Athe opening. 

